Aston Martin to create up to 4,000 new jobs

Aston Martin announces £200m investment programme and 4,000 new jobs to be created.

Aston Martin is to create up to 4,000 new jobs in the UK after announcing a £200m investment programme that will see the firm build a second manufacturing plant in the country.

The sports car maker revealed that St Athan, in Glamorgan, had been chosen as the site for its second manufacturing facility in the UK. The 90-acre Welsh plant, which will re-purpose some facilities currently in use by the Ministry of Defence, will handle production of Aston Martin’s new “crossover” vehicle - combining features found in a passenger car with those of a sports utility vehicle.

The company will produce its range of next-generation sports cars, including the all-electric RapidE, at its existing manufacturing base in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

Aston Martin expects to create up to 1,000 new jobs across the St Athan and Gaydon sites between now and 2020. A further 3,000 positions will likely be created across the supply chain and local businesses as a direct result of the investments.

Andrew Palmer, chief executive of Aston Martin, said: “Through a detailed evaluation of over 20 potential global locations for this new manufacturing facility, we were consistently impressed with the focus on quality, cost and speed from the Welsh government team.”

Prime Minister David Cameron hailed the new plant as evidence of Aston Martin’s “confidence in our economy”.

“Aston Martin is an iconic British brand and the decision to invest here shows real confidence in our economy," he said. "With our economic strengths and easy access to European markets, the UK automotive sector is thriving. It is one of the biggest in Europe – and the most productive – and Aston’s creation of up to 1,000 new jobs in Wales and the West Midlands is welcome news.”

Construction work at St Athan is due to commence next year, with production beginning in 2020. It is expected that more than 90pc of the production from St Athan will be exported outside of the UK.